Looking at the wreckage strewn across the ground and hearing the cries of battle dwindling around him, Jing Kong's heart turned to dead ashes. He knew it was over. The Jade Dragon Sword Sect was utterly finished.
The demon ape in the sky stomped down at Jing Kong once more. Jing Kong no longer had the strength to resist; even raising his head took great effort. Just as the demon ape's foot came within half a meter of his head, a flying sword even larger than the demon ape appeared out of thin air and instantly swatted it away.
An upright figure appeared in the sky. He was handsome, with sword-like brows and sword light constantly flickering in his eyes. He was Ximen Di, the younger brother of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's sect master.
Looking down at the shattered walls and ruins, Ximen Di knitted his brows tightly. He had not expected things to develop so quickly. Despite hurrying the entire way, he had still arrived too late.
The Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King gathered together as well, their expressions grave. Both recognized him. Ximen Di was famous across the continent. He had begun practicing the sword at eight, reached the Martial Master Realm at nine, the Martial Marquis Realm at twelve, the Martial King Realm at eighteen, and the Martial Emperor Realm at twenty-five. Now his cultivation had reached the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm, and he was hailed as one of those most likely to become a Martial Sovereign.
Unfortunately, he had an elder brother, Ximen Tian, who was slightly stronger than him and had likewise reached the Martial Emperor Realm at twenty-five. When they competed for the position of sect master, Ximen Di had been defeated by Ximen Tian and failed to obtain it. But to comfort his younger brother, Ximen Tian had specially established the position of deputy sect master and appointed Ximen Di to it.
"We can only stake everything on this." The Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King exchanged a glance and attacked at once.
"Demon Ape Hammers the Heavens!"
"Rending Tiger Heaven-Sealing Claw!"
Ximen Di looked at the two of them without drawing his sword. With a gentle sweep of his scabbard, every attack before him vanished without a trace. With another sweep, he sent the Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King flying hundreds of meters, blood spilling from their mouths.
"Two peak Martial Kings, yet both can unleash attacks at the Martial Emperor level. The Demon Sect is becoming more and more troublesome. It seems I'll have to kill them."
"Houzi, it looks like the odds are against us this time."
"What's there to fear? If we die, we die. It's just a pity we haven't completed the task the Sect Master gave us."
Ximen Di looked at them. "As members of the Demon Sect, you two have committed countless evils. Today, I will slay you here on Jade Dragon Mountain. Do you have any last words?"
"Pah! Spare us your false righteousness. If you're going to kill us, do it. Sooner or later, the Sect Master will wipe out your Ten Thousand Swords Sect too."
Ximen Di regarded them coldly. "Sooner or later, I'll pay your Sect Master a visit and see just how formidable he is." He raised his scabbard and swung it at them.
Just then, Ximen Di's gaze sharpened. He instantly pulled back his scabbard, drew his longsword, and slashed behind him. An irresistible force struck his blade, driving him five steps backward through the air before he regained his footing.
He looked at what his blade had struck. It was actually a silver needle. Disbelief flashed through Ximen Di's eyes. If a single silver needle could force him back five meters, the person behind it was certainly no ordinary figure.
Ximen Di suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He had abruptly discovered a slender man in a voluminous red robe standing ten meters to his left. His hands were as delicate as a woman's, and he held an embroidery needle.
He had been scanning his surroundings with his divine sense all along, yet he had failed to notice when this man appeared beside him. Either the man's cultivation was far above his own, or his speed was so great that Ximen Di had been unable to react. Either possibility proved that this was someone no less formidable than himself.
"May I ask who you are, and why you ambushed me?"
"I am the Demon Sect's Chief Steward."
The Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King suddenly grew excited. They immediately bowed toward the red-robed man and called out, "Greetings, Chief Steward!"
Ximen Di was startled as he recalled a story. It was said that while traveling the world, the previous Demon Sect Master, Zhou Shentong, had found a child on a lotus flower and named him Liansheng. Later, Liansheng had grown up alongside Zhou Qiong, but little news of him had ever emerged. He had always been assumed to be nothing more than Zhou Qiong's follower.
Then, over the past two years, the Demon Sect had fallen into turmoil, and Zhou Qiong had turned the raging tide and become Sect Master. He had directly appointed Liansheng as the Demon Sect's Chief Steward. Although the position carried little actual authority, Liansheng had clearly become someone below only one person and above ten thousand within the Demon Sect.
"You're Liansheng?" Ximen Di looked at the red-robed man in astonishment.
"I hear you want to meet our Sect Master. Then I'll give you that chance and have you come with me to the Demon Sect's headquarters."
Liansheng waved his hand, and countless silver needles instantly shot toward Ximen Di, faint strands of thread trailing behind them. Ximen Di's longsword left its sheath, and he swiftly knocked every silver needle away. The needles shot toward the surrounding mountain peaks and pierced into them.
Liansheng gave a gentle tug with his hand. Several mountain peaks were instantly uprooted and hurled toward Ximen Di.
"Sword Slashes All Under Heaven!" Ximen Di roared. An enormous sword swept toward the surrounding peaks, shattering them on impact. The backlash shook Ximen Di so hard that he spat blood, but he had no time to tend his injuries and instantly left the spot.
The instant Ximen Di moved away, several silver needles burst from the ground and chased after him.
"How is this possible? Have you already broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm?" Ximen Di asked, his voice trembling.
Even the Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King stared at the Chief Steward in disbelief. They knew something of his circumstances and had always believed his cultivation to be at the late Martial Emperor Realm, or at most its peak. When they saw the Chief Steward arrive, they had thought he would certainly be able to hold Ximen Di in check, allowing the two of them to complete the Sect Master's orders.
But judging by the situation before them, Ximen Di could not even resist the Chief Steward. Had he really broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm?
"A dead man has no need to know so much. Go ask King Yama."
Countless silver needles stabbed toward Ximen Di again, their momentum even more terrifying. The needles filled the sky and earth, leaving him nowhere to flee.
"Ah-Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin!" Ximen Di shouted again. The longsword in his hand transformed into ten thousand longswords, forming a sword formation around him to block the silver needles' sneak attacks.
Inside the sword formation, Ximen Di kept coughing up blood. His gaze hardened, and he swiftly struck several major acupoints on his body. Blood began flowing from all seven orifices, and even seeped through his skin. A burst of sword light enveloped him, and he vanished into the horizon in an instant.
The Demon Tiger King and Demon Monkey King immediately moved to give chase, but the Chief Steward stopped them with a wave. "There's no need to chase him. You two, clean up the loose ends, then return to headquarters to report."
"Yes."
"Burning blood essence to use Sword Light Escape. Its speed is certainly remarkable, but the drawbacks are too great. It seems I'll need to study the canon the Sect Master gave me carefully once I return."
He had been born a eunuch. No matter what cultivation manual he practiced, he could never fully grasp and integrate its teachings. Fortunately, his talent was extraordinary, and he could always bring forth something new from the old. Only through this had he managed to reach the late Martial Emperor Realm in his twenties.
Two days earlier, the Sect Master had suddenly summoned him and given him a cultivation manual, the Sunflower Devil Canon. This manual had opened a new door for him. There were actually cultivation manuals specifically meant for natural-born eunuchs. Over the past few days, he had cultivated constantly without even leaving his room. The more he practiced, the more he felt the manual's power.
Then the Sect Master had sent him to Jade Dragon Mountain. He could also feel the Sect Master's trust in him. An ordinary person would rather destroy something so precious than let anyone else learn it. He could only marvel at how boundlessly broad-minded the Sect Master truly was.